I’ve spent the last few weeks pointing out the worst bits of the three main parties manifestos, and telling you are rubbish they all are. It’s the last weekend of the campaign so here are the policies I would have picked instead, and along the way show how client politics distorts tax and spending decisions … Read more
The Tory manifesto is a small, but significant shuffle to the left. In fiscal terms it is probably their most left wing manifesto since Ted Heath, maybe even longer. The headlines are all about spending on health, education and social care: These spending commitments are great, and position to Tories much closer to the centre … Read more
In all of the excitement about the Labour Manifesto we seem to have forgotten that the LibDems also put their proposals forward too. Which might be a metaphor for a campaign full of sensible proposals but strangely forgettable. The LibDems overall fiscal frameworks is slightly tighter than Labour, but using similar rules. The LibDems want … Read more
The Labour Party manifesto came out today and helpfully they have produced a “Grey Book”, which sets out the financial framework for an incoming Labour Government. The financial framework is typical of Labour under Corbyn; lots of sensible, well thought out, pragmatic policies, mixed in with bat shit crazy stuff, and middle class fiscal fads. … Read more
The Americans have a huge aversion to socialised health care. While all other major Western economies have developed some model of state or socialised healthcare the USA alone leaves it’s health in the hands of the market. Brits like me who grew up with the NHS are baffled and appalled at the way the US … Read more
At school everyone knew someone who told lies. Massive lies. If your dad had a new car their dad had a helicopter. If your dad had new job their dad was James Bond If you went to Tenerife, they had been to Elevenerife. If you went to Belmont you didn’t last long with that kind … Read more
I love America. It’s one of my favourite places in the world. I have lost count of the number of times I have visited, and I still love it just as much. Admittedly I only really go to the East and West Coast, and hardly ever to the bits in the middle, but I am … Read more
This blog was inspired by a tweet from Jack Monroe, written in the context of the rise of hate speech on twitter, particularly anti-semitism. This is really a neat restatement of Marx’s great opening to the 18th Brumaire: Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot … Read more
The English language is full of loan words from Hindi and other languages from the Indian sub-continent. Shampoo, Veranda, Bungalow, Pyjamas, Bangle, Dinghy, Dungaree, Thug. Anyone who has Indian relatives will have this pointed out to them regularly. One of the most commonly used Hindi loan words in English is loot. Derived from … Read more